Superintendent Wayne Alexander says that the school administration is still interviewing high school students regarding last weekend's vandalism of Hernando High School, which was apparently perpetrated by a group of seniors. The school and police have indicated that, despite the damage inflicted and the seriousness of vandalism, they do not expect any criminal charges to be filed against the teens at this time. This decision has been criticized by some community members as overly lenient in light of the behavior of the students.
Two groups of seniors snuck onto the Hernando High School premises on Monday night. The students had been out of school in observance of Memorial Day. Early in the evening, the first group of seniors made their way into the school building, wearing masks and hoods to cover their identities. Once inside, they slicked a layer of petroleum jelly onto surfaces throughout the school, including door handles and railings. They also stacked desks atop one another. Although petroleum jelly is difficult to clean and the school will incur costs to clean up the mess, the prank was relatively minor when compared to the actions of the second group of seniors. School officials believe the two groups of vandals, although acting on the same night, were not working together in any way.
The second group came to the school later on the same night. Once there, they unleashed spray paint to create a significant amount of damage. The students involved in the second group have not all been identified at this point and, unlike the first group, may not all have been graduating this year. The second group of teens spray-painted messages and markings across 15 buildings and one motor vehicle. Many of the messages were sexually explicit or contained profanity.
If you have been accused of a property offense or a theft crime in the Tampa area, contact the criminal defense team at Musca Law.
